Dubbing Buss

[Mack A. Damia]

Hi, I have just dropped in to see if I can find out more about the
problem I am trying to solve.

I am putting together a vintage stereo system:

Pioneer SX990 amp/receiver
TEAC A-1500 Reel-to-Reel tape deck
Sony dual cassette deck
Turntable

TEAC CD player (not too vintage - works in AUX)

Here's the problem:

I want to connect both the reel-to-reel tape deck and the cassette
tape deck at the same time. I have purchased a Realistic Tape Control
Center with room for three decks.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Realistic-42-2105-Stereo-Tape-Control-Center-RCA-Dubbing-Buss-Hub-/320989491354?pt=US_Other_Pro_Audio&hash=item4abc76f09a

I'm not too aware of the lingo. I think I know what dubbing means
(transferring from one to another). Not certain what a buss is.

I have accessed an instruction booklet. This is what it says (in
part):

SWITCH FUNCTIONS (Notice front panel)

The top road of switches determines the Input connection to the three
decks:

- When Up, the Deck(s) is connected to the receiver/amplifier.
- In the center position, the Deck(s) is not connected (off).
- In the Down position, the Deck(s) is connected to a Dubbing Buss.

The lower row of switches determines the Output connection of the
three decks:

- When UP, the Deck(s) is connected to the Dubbing Buss.
- In the center position, the Deck(s0 is not connected (off).
- In the Down position, the Deck(s) is connected to the Output.

The switch at the right has two positions and determines the signal
being passed onto the receiver/amplifier for Monitor sound.

- In the Up position, the receiver/amplifier will monitor output from
the Dubbing Buss.
- In the Down position, the receiver/amplifier will monitor output
from Decks 1, 2 and/or 3.


Could somebody please explain what a dubbing buss is and also
translate these instructions so that they make sense to a neophyte?

Thanks very much!

--

[Dave Platt]

OK, I'll try.

Think of the "Dubbing Bus" as a common connection point. It's a place
where:

(1) A tape deck can send its output, so that other devices can use or
monitor what this deck is playing, and

(2) A tape deck can use as its input, so that it can record what
another tape deck is playing.

If you're trying to dub (copy) from one deck to another, then you
would set the switches so that:

- The "input connection" of the deck that you are RECORDING TO, would
be in the "down" position, so that it is being fed from the dubbing
bus.

- The "output connection" of the deck that you are PLAYING BACK FROM,
would be set to the "up" position, so that it is feeding its output
to the dubbing bus.

- If you have a third tape deck, you can dub from one deck to both
of the others simultaneously... just set both "recording to" decks
to take their inputs from the dubbing bus (input switch "down").

There are a large number of other possible combinations of switch
settings. In general:

- You should have only one deck's output set to the dubbing bus at
any given time. If you have two or more set this way, they will
"fight" with one another, with somewhat unpredictable results.

- Similarly, you should have only one deck's output set to the
"output to the receiver" setting at any given time. Same
problem... they'll fight.

- You should not have any deck's input and output both set to the
dubbing bus at the same time. This can cause feedback or weird
echo problems.

- To record something from radio or turntable to either or both decks,
set the decks' inputs to the "up" position so that they're
being fed from the receiver.


--
Dave Platt <dpl...@radagast.org> AE6EO
Friends of Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

[Mack A. Damia]

On Mon, 8 Oct 2012 17:17:19 -0700, dpl...@radagast.org (Dave Platt)
wrote:

Thanks! That's wonderful and easy to follow. I'll copy this and
refer to it when I hook up the Tape Control Center. Yes, I understand
it now.
--

[Cydrome Leader]

Mack A. Damia <mybaco...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hi, I have just dropped in to see if I can find out more about the
> problem I am trying to solve.
>
> I am putting together a vintage stereo system:
>
> Pioneer SX990 amp/receiver
> TEAC A-1500 Reel-to-Reel tape deck
> Sony dual cassette deck
> Turntable
>
> TEAC CD player (not too vintage - works in AUX)
>
> Here's the problem:
>
> I want to connect both the reel-to-reel tape deck and the cassette
> tape deck at the same time. I have purchased a Realistic Tape Control
> Center with room for three decks.
>
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Realistic-42-2105-Stereo-Tape-Control-Center-RCA-Dubbing-Buss-Hub-/320989491354?pt=US_Other_Pro_Audio&hash=item4abc76f09a

The switches on that thing are hillarious.

[Dave Platt]

In article <k54p0s$c60$4...@reader1.panix.com>,

Cydrome Leader <pres...@MUNGEpanix.com> wrote:

>> I want to connect both the reel-to-reel tape deck and the cassette
>> tape deck at the same time. I have purchased a Realistic Tape Control
>> Center with room for three decks.
>>
>>
>http://www.ebay.com/itm/Realistic-42-2105-Stereo-Tape-Control-Center-RCA-Dubbing-Buss-Hub-/320989491354?pt=US_Other_Pro_Audio&hash=item4abc76f09a
>
>The switches on that thing are hillarious.

They do seem a bit over-the-top, but I've seen similar "long brushed
aluminum" switches used on a lot of 1970's and 1980's audio gear, I
believe.

The arrangment actually makes sense... they marked the "dubbing bus"
as a sort of virtual wire running across the middle of the panel, and
all of the deck I/Os whose switches are moved to point to the "bus"
are actually bussed together inside the box.

[Cydrome Leader]

Dave Platt <dpl...@radagast.org> wrote:
> In article <k54p0s$c60$4...@reader1.panix.com>,
> Cydrome Leader <pres...@MUNGEpanix.com> wrote:
>
>>> I want to connect both the reel-to-reel tape deck and the cassette
>>> tape deck at the same time. I have purchased a Realistic Tape Control
>>> Center with room for three decks.
>>>
>>>
>>http://www.ebay.com/itm/Realistic-42-2105-Stereo-Tape-Control-Center-RCA-Dubbing-Buss-Hub-/320989491354?pt=US_Other_Pro_Audio&hash=item4abc76f09a
>>
>>The switches on that thing are hillarious.
>
> They do seem a bit over-the-top, but I've seen similar "long brushed
> aluminum" switches used on a lot of 1970's and 1980's audio gear, I
> believe.

I've wondered what that finish was called in those goofy switches. It
seems everything in that era had them.

[Dave Platt]

In article <k57gqg$4ji$1...@reader1.panix.com>,

Cydrome Leader <pres...@MUNGEpanix.com> wrote:

>I've wondered what that finish was called in those goofy switches. It
>seems everything in that era had them.

I've heard it referred to as "brushed aluminum" and "matte aluminum".
One can probably reproduce it fairly easily, with a rod or plate of
aluminum and a wire brush chucked into a drill press or lathe.

I imagine that the switch rods probably used aluminum rod which was
run through a long "continuous brushing" jig (push the rod one way,
through a set of spinning wire brushes rotating in the opposite
direction) and then cut to length.

[Cydrome Leader]

Dave Platt <dpl...@radagast.org> wrote:
> In article <k57gqg$4ji$1...@reader1.panix.com>,
> Cydrome Leader <pres...@MUNGEpanix.com> wrote:
>
>>I've wondered what that finish was called in those goofy switches. It
>>seems everything in that era had them.
>
> I've heard it referred to as "brushed aluminum" and "matte aluminum".
> One can probably reproduce it fairly easily, with a rod or plate of
> aluminum and a wire brush chucked into a drill press or lathe.
>
> I imagine that the switch rods probably used aluminum rod which was
> run through a long "continuous brushing" jig (push the rod one way,
> through a set of spinning wire brushes rotating in the opposite
> direction) and then cut to length.

Any idea how they made those pretty aluminum knobs of the same era with
the perfect grooved texture on the face? It's dozens of perfect concentric
grooves, some even reflect light in rainbow colors of they're not dirty
frmo hands.

the modern versions look like and are cheap crap to the old stuff

http://www.oep.com/Products/Machined/machined1.htm

[Dave Platt]

In article <k59jvq$csn$1...@reader1.panix.com>,

Cydrome Leader <pres...@MUNGEpanix.com> wrote:

>> I've heard it referred to as "brushed aluminum" and "matte aluminum".
>> One can probably reproduce it fairly easily, with a rod or plate of
>> aluminum and a wire brush chucked into a drill press or lathe.
>>
>> I imagine that the switch rods probably used aluminum rod which was
>> run through a long "continuous brushing" jig (push the rod one way,
>> through a set of spinning wire brushes rotating in the opposite
>> direction) and then cut to length.
>
>Any idea how they made those pretty aluminum knobs of the same era with
>the perfect grooved texture on the face? It's dozens of perfect concentric
>grooves, some even reflect light in rainbow colors of they're not dirty
>frmo hands.
>
>the modern versions look like and are cheap crap to the old stuff

Well, I don't know how they made them. However, I do know how I would
try to reproduce the effect today (which may be how they made 'em
in the first place).

- Cut or stamp or machine the knob to the desired size and shape

- Do any milling of the outer side (traction ridges, etc).

- Polish the front side to a good flatness.

- Spin the knob on its axis (keeping it exactly on a stable axis -
this probably means sticking it on a driveshaft and tightening the
grub screws to hold it firmly in place) and press it against a flat
plate embedded with a fine abrasive. Industrial diamond particles,
silicon carbide, something like that. Since this is aluminum and
relatively soft, even ordinary aluminum-oxide sandpaper would do...
you can get this with an adhesive backing, and just stick a piece
on a plate.

The finer the abrasive grit, the finer the concentric grooves would
be. The more evenly-spaced the grit particles, the more uniform the
groove spacing, and the more pronounced the rainbow diffraction colors
would probably be.

I imagine that the knobs were anodized after the grooves were cut.

You could probably try this at home with a sample of aluminum, a
drill press, and a home-made abrasive plate clamped to the
drill press table.

[Michael A. Terrell]

Or take the discussion to news:rec.crafts.metalworking which is a
good place to learn metalworking.

[Franc Zabkar]

On Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:00:45 -0700, Mack A. Damia
<mybaco...@hotmail.com> put finger to keyboard and composed:

>I have purchased a Realistic Tape Control Center with room for three decks.

Here is a (partial?) circuit diagram:
http://personal.lig.bellsouth.net/k/d/kd5eis/42-2105.pdf

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.